The present invention relates to the general field of perineal rehabilitation devices.
More particularly, the present invention relates to perineal rehabilitation devices comprising an endocavity or an annular applicator or probe locally supporting a charging electrode and at least one stimulation electrode either on its periphery or in its inside face, said applicator including at least one energy storage unit that is rechargeable via the charging electrode.
Such a probe or applicator is used, amongst other possibilities, in particular for treating urinary incontinence. Urinary incontinence is manifested by an involuntary loss of urine that many people find problematic.
There are two main types of urinary incontinence, stress incontinence and urgent incontinence.
Stress incontinence corresponds to loss of urine as a result of an increase in abdominal pressure on the bladder. This increase in pressure may be due to coughing, sneezing, laughing, or making a movement, in particular lifting something heavy. Stress incontinence is the most common type of incontinence and it mainly affects women. It takes place in general when the perineal muscles and the muscles of the floor of the pelvis are weakened, e.g. by pregnancies, childbirth, or the menopause.
Urgent incontinence corresponds to a sudden and pressing need to urinate, followed by an immediate contraction of the bladder. This contraction results in an involuntary loss of urine. Both men and women may be affected by this type of incontinence, in particular among older people. One of the reasons for such incontinence is a failure in the operation of the nervous system controlling the bladder.
Mixed incontinence is a combination of stress incontinence and of urgent incontinence.
In order to treat incontinence, it is known to make use of electrical stimulation, e.g. using a vaginal applicator, or in certain circumstances using surface electrodes. The use of such electrical stimulation is treatment that is well tolerated and that has demonstrated good results in improving control over the bladder and the intestines.
Thus, electrical stimulation via the pelvic nerves is a recognized treatment alternative for urinary incontinence. This treatment is also proposed in order to solve fecal incontinence due to dysfunction of the floor of the pelvis.
When treating stress incontinence, the purpose of electrical stimulation is to stimulate voluntary muscular contraction and to improve the working of the muscles of the floor of the pelvis. For urgent incontinence, the purpose is to inhibit involuntary contractions of the bladder by stimulating the nerves of the floor of the pelvis. When treating mixed incontinence, particular stimulation is used that is appropriate both for urgent incontinence and for stress incontinence.
At present, devices exist that are suitable for generating electrical stimulation for treating incontinence. Some such appliances are based on using a control platform connected by a wire to an endocavity applicator carrying stimulation electrodes, or indeed stimulation electrodes that are placed outside on the skin. Such appliances are used in the offices of physiotherapists or other health professionals. Such devices are not portable in any way.
Such wired devices used by physiotherapists make many parameter modifications available. It is not possible to envisage the general public using such devices without the presence of a health professional. Such prior art devices therefore cannot be used individually at any location and in particular at a user's home. Such wired appliances are also very expensive and require special training for their use.
There also exists a wireless perineal electrical stimulator that is rechargeable in a non-leaktight charger box. The charger box is also used for programming the applicator.
With that device, the applicator, or probe, is programmed using the charger box while the probe is still installed therein. Once the applicator is disconnected from the charger, it is no longer possible to modify is operation. Thus, once the applicator is programmed, it is designed to remain inactive for three minutes, thereby giving the user time to insert the applicator.
The device then runs the selected program. Such automatic activation of the applicator after three minutes of inactivity presents a certain number of problems, or even dangers. In particular, if the applicator is not inserted within three minutes following its disconnection, but is inserted later, the user runs the risk of electrocution since the program is already running.
Furthermore, the user has no access to electrical stimulation time ranges other than by means of the user's own sensations. Unfortunately, it is known that useful electrical stimulation is not necessarily perceived. Consequently, muscle contraction exercises cannot be performed thoroughly and reliably during electrical stimulation.
Thus, blind operation of known portable devices presents the advantage of enabling them to be used by the general public and without prior knowledge. However their operation is not without risk and does not enable treatment to be optimized.